Depression has become one of the major health challenges that modern humanity is facing. While physical comorbidities like hypertension, diabetes and others can be recognised and managed well through various modern medical interventions, mental health requires a multi-pronged strategy to be dealt with. The prevailing perception that views depression solely as an individual or personal issue masks the societal factors and the present-day economic structure that amplify it. Though depression appears to be an individual issue and is being treated on an individual basis, it is the interplay of several social, economic, personal and other variables that aggravate the most common, yet neglected, condition called depression. The prevailing definitions or explanations, that are solely in clinical or medical terms, associated with the term called depression are misleading the policymakers and hoi polloi alike and persuading them to perceive it as an individual medical condition rather than as a complex-societal problem. It is this exclusivity and an isolated outlook towards depression restricting the stakeholders involved to deal with it.
Limitations of medicine
Before delving into the complex set of economic, social and other external forces that contribute to one’s depressive behaviour, it is worth mentioning here that medical interventions have certain limitations when it comes to the treatment of depression as man’s mind is a complex web and his/her mindstate depends on the past experiences, one’s worldview, social and economic quotients, and the response to momentary developments in his/her surroundings. As a matter of fact, man is a social animal. That doesn’t mean that modern medicine techniques like anti-depressant pills, hormonal shots, therapies and others have failed to tackle this complex medical condition that encompasses a wide range of arenas. To say, they have certain limitations to deal with it. Above all, it is also important to understand that most people fail to draw distinction between sadness and depression. While the former is a temporary state of mind, the latter is a persistent and continuous cycle of melancholy that obstructs one’s capabilities, strengths, and innate consciousness and conscience and hinders one from living his/her fullest.
Zone of isolation
A broader outlook empowers us with tools and necessary paraphernalia to understand depression and its dynamics. This is where economic, social, political, religious and other external factors come into play. The neo-liberal economic architecture which lays excessive emphasis on individualism over collective or communitarian spirit, competition over coordination, alienation over enlightenment, consumerism over coexistence, status and symbolism over scientific awakening and material benefits over concrete happiness and harmony pushes the individuals into a zone of isolation and disillusionment, thereby, resulting in dissatisfaction about one’s life. Furthermore, the prevailing neo-liberal economic narrative demands homogeneity and denies diversity and novelty. It pushes one into a web of limitless wants and desires to meet contemporary societal standards. It links one’s identity to how well s/he has been able to meet the contemporary standards that the capitalist empire has set. Akin to how the capitalist state/entity hunts for the natural resources to maximise the profits, it pushes an individual to crave for more and more material wants. It is this relentless thirst for insurmountable wants reinforced by the unsettling nature of individuals that drives an individual towards isolation.
Religion and hatred
It is obvious that an alienated individual seeks solace and comfort to get rid of turbulence and uncertainty. Due to the stigma and taboo associated with mental health at least in the case of developing countries, a depressed person may not seek help from his/her immediate family members, friends and accomplices. As religion or the concept of God occupy a major place in humanity, it is easy that one orients him/herself to the channels of spiritualism and divinity during his/her low times.
Pseudoscience not a pill
Since depression is a real thing though it is invisible, it needs a solution and practical approach to address it. The mismatch between reality and spiritualism negates the argument that spiritual journey offers a solution to depression. On the top of it, there is also a possibility of religious brainwashing, thereby, leading to religious fundamentalism and xenophobia. As evident from the Nazi history in which distress among the beleaguered sections metamorphosed into hatred and then culminated into World War- II, there is also a possibility of banking in on dissatisfied lives and making them fall prey to religious or racist radicalization much to the benefit of ruling dispensations or terrorist organisations. In addition, spiritual jargon complemented by unresolved or unfound answers further exacerbates this Gordian Knot called depression.
It is worth mentioning here that most of the people also rely on many techniques like astrology, numerology, creation science and other branches of pseudoscience to get rid of depression. All these ideas may give a sigh of relief to the individuals in depression, yet, they hinder individuals from understanding the broader aspect of depression which has its roots in both personal as well as the prevailing social and economic structure.
Rich, no exception
Contrary to popular perception, it isn’t only masses who fall into depression, thanks to economic inequalities and insecurities and social disparities, but also elite and rich class individuals too. Interestingly, one may fall into thoughts of how come and why rich and superyacht classes would feel depressed, for their economic footings are strong and have enough wherewithal to lead luxurious lives. It is important to understand that the neo-liberal economic narrative encompasses social domain too. The social wings of a society like education, family, individual’s worldview, relationships, connections, interactions, philosophy and other beliefs and other variables are designed to support the skewed and flawed architecture.
Obviously, the central tenets of neo-liberal empire like competition, materialism and individualism among many others will infiltrate into the social aspects of human life, thereby causing issues like loneliness, mistrust, unwarranted expectations, alienation, self-doubt and other personal complexities.
To address one of the pressing issues of present-day humanity, depression, it needs a multi-pronged approach encompassing individual, social, political, economic, medical, cultural and other arenas. It is of utmost importance to sensitize the regimes and adopt the economic and social policies that would liberate an individual from numerous invisible shackles along with depression.
Author:-
Samudrala VK
Columnist on International Affairs and Trade
